Paid Research - Membership Required
Developing Products for Global Markets
 
Keywords
Localization, best practices, global products, website globalization

Abstract
With a large part of their revenue coming from international sales, software suppliers such as Adobe and Symantec have no choice but to develop local-market editions of their products. System manufacturers like Hewlett-Packard and IBM regularly develop market-specific variants of their offerings. Companies like these form the vanguard of business globalization, simultaneously shipping their products to dozens of world markets.

What these suppliers do in the course of their everyday operations paves the way for other market sectors. For example, most consumer must-have products pivot on a software foundation of GPS, MP3, 3G, or RFID. The manufacturers of these sophisticated, software-dependent goods eagerly market them to receptive markets around the planet. Common Sense Advisory believes that these firms can learn a lot from the global software and hardware engineering pioneers. More than anything, they will be driven by the three forces of international consumer and business demand, national regulations, and fast-moving rivals.

This report is available only to members of Common Sense Advisory's research program.

Benefits
In General: This report discusses global business dynamics, localization best practices, and technology for adapting software products, corporate applications, and manufactured goods for international markets.
For Buyers: This report should prove useful to any group or individual dealing with localizing application code, business content, manufactured goods, or websites. Companies doing such work themselves or outsourcing it to third parties such as language service providers will find this information valuable as they plan, execute, and evolve their global product, software, or website offerings, both in terms of benchmarking and best practices.
For Suppliers: Translation agencies and software vendors can learn the best practices of the companies buying their services to localize software, software-enabled manufactured goods, or websites

Physical Details
Authors: Donald A. DePalma
Date: 21 June 2006
ISBN: 1-933555-28-9
Pages: 32

Companies
Adobe, Alchemy, Apple, BMW, Hertz, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Nike, Nokia, PASS, Symantec, WizArt

Table of Contents
  • Topic
    • Structure and Navigation of the Report
    • Who Should Read This Report?
  • Vox Populi
    • Our Survey Took Place during a Busy Time in Product Development
    • Cheat Sheet for Survey Results
    • Where Our Respondents Work
    • Localization Teams Are Measured on Time, Efficiency, and Cost
    • Where Localization Fits in the Engineering and Development Process
      • Localization Happens Anywhere But Reports to Engineering
      • Research and Tradition Drive Choice of Engineering Model
    • Size of Teams and Budgets Mirrors Global Scale and Ambition
      • Dedicated Localization Teams Remain Small
      • Localization Appears as Product Development Budget Line Item
    • Software Readiness for Localization Is Usually High
    • In an Age of Continuous Patching, Localization Raises New Challenges
      • More than Half of Respondents Simultaneously Ship Products
      • Code Freezes Become Hot Issue for Simshippers
    • Summary of Surveys with Localization Practitioners
  • Analysis
    • Localization Has Become a Market-Driven Phenomenon
    • Best Practices in Localizing Products for Global Markets
      • Companies Will Mature in Their Localization Practices
      • Guidelines for Progressing from Reactive to Managed Localization
Paid Research - Membership Required
Developing Products for Global Markets
 
Keywords
Localization, best practices, global products, website globalization

Abstract
With a large part of their revenue coming from international sales, software suppliers such as Adobe and Symantec have no choice but to develop local-market editions of their products. System manufacturers like Hewlett-Packard and IBM regularly develop market-specific variants of their offerings. Companies like these form the vanguard of business globalization, simultaneously shipping their products to dozens of world markets.

What these suppliers do in the course of their everyday operations paves the way for other market sectors. For example, most consumer must-have products pivot on a software foundation of GPS, MP3, 3G, or RFID. The manufacturers of these sophisticated, software-dependent goods eagerly market them to receptive markets around the planet. Common Sense Advisory believes that these firms can learn a lot from the global software and hardware engineering pioneers. More than anything, they will be driven by the three forces of international consumer and business demand, national regulations, and fast-moving rivals.

This report is available only to members of Common Sense Advisory's research program.

Benefits
In General: This report discusses global business dynamics, localization best practices, and technology for adapting software products, corporate applications, and manufactured goods for international markets.
For Buyers: This report should prove useful to any group or individual dealing with localizing application code, business content, manufactured goods, or websites. Companies doing such work themselves or outsourcing it to third parties such as language service providers will find this information valuable as they plan, execute, and evolve their global product, software, or website offerings, both in terms of benchmarking and best practices.
For Suppliers: Translation agencies and software vendors can learn the best practices of the companies buying their services to localize software, software-enabled manufactured goods, or websites

Physical Details
Authors: Donald A. DePalma
Date: 21 June 2006
ISBN: 1-933555-28-9
Pages: 32

Companies
Adobe, Alchemy, Apple, BMW, Hertz, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Nike, Nokia, PASS, Symantec, WizArt

Table of Contents
  • Topic
    • Structure and Navigation of the Report
    • Who Should Read This Report?
  • Vox Populi
    • Our Survey Took Place during a Busy Time in Product Development
    • Cheat Sheet for Survey Results
    • Where Our Respondents Work
    • Localization Teams Are Measured on Time, Efficiency, and Cost
    • Where Localization Fits in the Engineering and Development Process
      • Localization Happens Anywhere But Reports to Engineering
      • Research and Tradition Drive Choice of Engineering Model
    • Size of Teams and Budgets Mirrors Global Scale and Ambition
      • Dedicated Localization Teams Remain Small
      • Localization Appears as Product Development Budget Line Item
    • Software Readiness for Localization Is Usually High
    • In an Age of Continuous Patching, Localization Raises New Challenges
      • More than Half of Respondents Simultaneously Ship Products
      • Code Freezes Become Hot Issue for Simshippers
    • Summary of Surveys with Localization Practitioners
  • Analysis
    • Localization Has Become a Market-Driven Phenomenon
    • Best Practices in Localizing Products for Global Markets
      • Companies Will Mature in Their Localization Practices
      • Guidelines for Progressing from Reactive to Managed Localization